Employee Counseling and
Wellness Services
Chapter 11
Werner & DeSimone (2006)
1
Learning objectives
Explain the need for employee counseling in
organization and why counseling is an HRD activity.
Describe the typical activities include in employee
counseling programs.
Describe the focus and effectiveness of three types
of employee counseling programs: employee
assistance program, stress management
interventions, and employee wellness/health
promotion programs.
Describe the role of supervisors in the various types
of employee counseling program
Werner & DeSimone (2006)
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The Need for Employee
Counseling
Have you ever seen people:
Struggling due to high levels of
anxiety?
Refusing treatment for a treatable
condition?
Experiencing job burnout?
Involved in efforts to promote good
health?
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The Need for Employee
Counseling – 2
Personal problems are a part of life
Personal problems affect job performance
Healthcare costs continue to rise
Reducing tardiness, absenteeism, lost time
and worker’s compensation saves money
Reducing turnover can improve productivity
and the bottom line
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Addressing Employee WellBeing
Promotes employee morale
Reduces the impact of external
factors on work
Promotes productivity

Cheaper to train, treat, and retain
existing workers than to hire new ones
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Employee Counseling as an
HRD Function
Counseling serves the same goal as
other HRD activities

Improving/maintaining worker
performance
Same techniques are used, especially
coaching
Same kinds of analysis and planning
needed
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Overview of Counseling
Programs
Problem Identification
Education
Counseling
Referral
Treatment
Follow-up
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Problem Identification
Screening device
Absenteeism records
Supervisor’s observations
Referral
Voluntary participation
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Education
Pamphlets
Videos
Lectures
Unsolicited
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Television
Radio
Other media
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Counseling
Needs a non-threatening person with
whom the worker can discuss
problems and seek help. Options
include:

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Supervisor/coach
Ombudsman
HRD Counselor
Professional Counselor
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Referral
Directing employee to appropriate
resources for assistance – e.g.,
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Physician
Substance abuse treatment center
Marriage counselor
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
Other options (clergy)
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Treatment
The actual intervention to solve the
problem – e.g.,
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Group therapy
Medications
Individual therapy
Psychological therapy
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Follow-up
Needed to:
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Ensure the employee is indeed carrying
out the treatment
Obtain information on employee progress
Ensure that referrals and treatment are
effective
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A Caution About Employee
Counseling
All six approaches are not always
needed
The following issues drive which
approach is taken:

Type of problem identified

Appropriate response

Available resources
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Who Provides Employee
Counseling?
Depends on the organization and
organizational culture
Can be done using:

Corporate resources (In-house)

Outside resources (Out-of-house)
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In-House Efforts
Advantages:
Internal control
Familiarity with
organization
Better coordination
of efforts
Sense of ownership
Greater internal
credibility
Disadvantages:
Confidentiality
Lack of needed
resources
Employee reluctance
to use services
Limitations in staff
skill and expertise
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Contracting Externally (Out-ofHouse)
Advantages:
Subject matter
experts
Confidentiality easier
to maintain
Lower cost
Better identification
and use of resources
Disadvantages:
Lack of on-site
services
Possible
communications
problems
Lack of
organizational
knowledge
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Characteristics of Effective
Programs
Top management support
Clear policies and procedures
Cooperation with unions and employee
groups
A range of care:

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Referral to community resources
Follow-up
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Characteristics of Effective
Programs – 2
Policy of guaranteed confidentiality
Maintenance of records for program
evaluation
Health insurance benefit coverage for
services
Family education
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Employee Assistance
Programs (EAPs)
Job-based programs operating within
an organization that:

Identify troubled employees

Motivate them to resolve their problems

Provide access to counseling and
treatment, as appropriate
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General Topics that EAPs
Might Address
Alcoholism
Drug abuse
Anxiety
Depression
Eating disorders
Compulsive
gambling
Marital problems
Financial problems
Personal problems
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Issues/Outcomes Affected by
EAPs
Productivity
Absenteeism
Turnover
Unemployment costs
Substance abuse
treatment
Accidents
Training
Replacement costs
Insurance benefits
Etc.
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Who Offers EAPs?
62% of medium- and large-sized
companies
33% of companies with 50+
employees
Estimated 82% of large firm
employees have access to an
employee assistance program
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Items of Importance
Extent of substance abuse and
mental health problems faced by
companies
Approaches to employee assistance
Effectiveness of EAPs in treating
substance abuse and mental health
problems
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Substance Abuse
Over 19 million Americans abuse
alcohol or drugs
Alcohol is involved in 47% of industrial
injuries
Substance abuse costs U.S. businesses
over $100 billion per year
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Reasons for Immediate
Concern
Drug and alcohol users are more prone to
accidents, injuries, disciplinary problems,
and “involuntary” turnover
Would you want to fly in a plane with a
drunken pilot?
Do you want to drive a car put together by
someone abusing marijuana or cocaine?
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Mental Health
It is estimated that:
18.8 million Americans suffer from a
depressive illness every year
23% of the American population has
some sort of mental disorder
5.4 % have a serious mental illness
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Common Mental and
Emotional Health Problems
Individual adjustment
Victim of external factors (rape,
incest, battering, crime)
Sexual problems, including impotence
Divorce and marital problems
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Common Mental and Emotional
Health Problems – 2
Depression and suicide attempts
Difficulties with family and children
Sexual harassment in workplace
Legal and financial problems
Gambling addiction
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Why Care About Mental and
Emotional Problems?
Problems can cause:
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Absenteeism
Poor performance and work habits
Low job satisfaction
Indecisiveness
Interpersonal conflicts
Violence and aggressive behaviors at work
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EAP Approach to Resolving
Employee Personal Problems
Basis of the EAP approach:
Work is very important to people
Work performance can help identify
an employee’s personal problems
Employees can be motivated to seek
help
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Characteristics of the EAP
Approach
Problem is defined in terms of job
performance, rather than in clinical
terms
Supervisors monitor employees to
identify changes in workplace
behavior that indicate potential
problems
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Behavior Problems Indicating
Possible Substance Abuse
Absenteeism
On-the-job absences
High accident rate
Poor job performance
Poor relationships with co-workers
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Constructive Confrontation
In this approach, a supervisor:
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monitors performance
confronts employee on poor performance
coaches to improve performance
urges use of EAP’s counseling service
emphasizes the consequences of
continued poor performance
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The Typical EAP
Clear policies, procedures, and
responsibilities concerning health and
personal problems on the job
Employee education campaigns
Supervisory training program
Clinical services (In- or out-of-house)
Follow-up monitoring
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Effectiveness of EAPs
Effectiveness is “generally accepted”
Estimated 50% to 85% effectiveness
rate
Estimated savings of $2 to $20 per
dollar invested in EAP
However, much EAP evaluation is
subjective, and strongly criticized
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EAPs and the HRD
Professional
EAPs are often housed within the HRD
area of the organization
HRD must determine:
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Costs vs. benefits of the program in dollars
Whether it’s cheaper to replace an individual
than to successfully treat that person
Healthcare organizations are increasingly
involved in EAPs (behavioral healthcare
management)
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Stress Management
Interventions
“Any activity, program, or
opportunity initiated by an
organization, which focuses on
reducing work-related stressors….”
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What is Stress?
Some environmental force affecting
the individual (a stressor)
Individual’s response to the stressor
Interaction between individual and
the stressor
Individuals react in different ways to
stress
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Stress Management
Interventions
Educationally-Oriented Interventions

Sources or stress, how it feels, how to
avoid it, how to cope with it
Skill-Acquisition Interventions

Provides new ways to manage stress
such as:
 Time management training
 Assertiveness training
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Employee Wellness and Health
Promotion
Wellness is more than the absence of
disease
Promotes physical fitness and other
nonstress issues:

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Obesity
Smoking
Helps control healthcare costs
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Exercise and Fitness
Interventions
Most popular interventions
Even modest exercise helps prevent
disease
Research shows effectiveness
Problem: Getting those who would
benefit the most to exercise
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Issues in Employee Counseling
Effectiveness of programs
Legal issues
Who is responsible for counseling?
Ethical issues
Unintended negative outcomes
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Effectiveness of Counseling
Determine organizational demographics
Determine expected participation rates
Estimate start-up and maintenance costs
Implement test and tracking system
Measure pre- and postprogram
Analyze results for users and non-users
Do present and future cost-benefit
analyses
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Responsibility for Employee
Counseling
HRD Professionals?
Supervisors?
Unions?
Management?
Individuals?
What are your thoughts?
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Potential Unintended Negative
Outcomes
Increased worker’s compensation costs
Employee scheduling problems,
increased fatigue, lower performance
Conflicts at work over smoking bans
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Closing Thoughts
EAPs show that companies care
HRD professionals have the skills
and expertise to provide EAP
information
Promoting employee health and
well-being can contributes positively
to an organization’s bottom line.
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Summary
Employee well-being affects ability,
availability, and readiness to perform a job
Employee counseling encompasses a lot of
areas
It is an HRD function that:

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Ensures that employees are now effective
contributors to the organization, and that they
will continue to be in the future
Needs professionals who are qualified to deal
with the difficult issues involved with this topic
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